US20070081835A1 - Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus - Google Patents
Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20070081835A1 US20070081835A1 US11/608,376 US60837606A US2007081835A1 US 20070081835 A1 US20070081835 A1 US 20070081835A1 US 60837606 A US60837606 A US 60837606A US 2007081835 A1 US2007081835 A1 US 2007081835A1
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- Prior art keywords
- toner
- process cartridge
- image forming
- bearing member
- developer
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
- G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
- G03G21/18—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements using a processing cartridge, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit
- G03G21/1803—Arrangements or disposition of the complete process cartridge or parts thereof
- G03G21/1814—Details of parts of process cartridge, e.g. for charging, transfer, cleaning, developing
Definitions
- a background image forming apparatus includes a detachable process cartridge in which consumable components, such as a developing unit including a developer bearing member and a developer container, an image bearing member, an electric charging unit, a cleaning unit and the like are integrally mounted.
- consumable components such as a developing unit including a developer bearing member and a developer container, an image bearing member, an electric charging unit, a cleaning unit and the like are integrally mounted.
- the process cartridge is replaced by a new process cartridge, allowing a user to replenish toner and exchange the consumable components at one time.
- Such a cartridge replacement operation is simpler than others where the replenishment of toner and the exchange of the consumable components are separately performed.
- a technique has been proposed such that a toner bottle is detachably arranged in the process cartridge to separately replenish the toner from the toner bottle to the developing unit.
- the user firstly needs to remove the process cartridge out of the image forming apparatus before removing the toner bottle from the process cartridge. This makes the toner replenishment process long and complicated.
- Another easier technique used in background image forming apparatuses for replacing a toner bottle includes providing the process cartridge and the toner separate from each other and detachably arranged therein.
- the process cartridge needs to be arranged in the vicinity of the toner bottle, the process cartridge and the toner bottle cannot be flexibly arranged in the image forming apparatus.
- a flexibility in positioning the process cartridge and the toner bottle is required in order to better utilize space in the image forming apparatus and to allow an overall size reduction, particularly, in full-color image forming apparatuses referring four or more sets of toner bottles and process cartridges. Therefore, the flexibility of positioning toner bottles and process cartridges needs to be increased.
- an open/close mechanism is provided to an engaging portion of the process cartridge 1 and the toner supplying unit and a predetermined space is required to mount members for the engaging portion. Moreover, the toner moves by gravity from the toner supplying unit to the process cartridge 1 . However, if the toner supplying unit is arranged to a portion higher than the process cartridge 1 , a part of the toner supplying unit occupies a space over the developer container 7 , which may result in a blockage of the laser beam L.
- the toner supplying unit be provided next to the developer container 7 of the process cartridge 1 .
- a novel image forming apparatus includes a process cartridge, a toner storage and a toner supplying unit.
- the process cartridge further includes an image bearing member, a developer container, a developer bearing member, and a pair of side plates.
- the image bearing member is configured to form an electrostatic latent image in an image forming area on a surface thereof.
- the developer container contains a developer, including toner and carriers, and includes a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface thereof.
- the developer bearing member is arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member and is configured to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member.
- the predetermined position for the toner inlet may be below a top surface of the developer bearing member.
- the toner supplying unit may include a tubular engager and a toner outlet.
- the tubular engager is mounted to a lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit and is configured to slide in a direction parallel to a direction in which the process cartridge is inserted to engage the toner supplying unit with the process cartridge as the process cartridge is inserted.
- the toner outlet is arranged at a position in the lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit to face the toner inlet of the developer container of the process cartridge for supplying the toner conveyed through the toner supplying unit.
- the developer container of the process cartridge may further include a toner inlet shutter and a pressing member.
- the toner inlet shutter is arranged on the top surface of the process cartridge and is configured to open and close the toner inlet.
- the pressing member is configured to push the toner inlet shutter for closing the toner inlet when the process cartridge is removed and to be pressed by the toner inlet shutter for opening the toner inlet when the process cartridge is installed.
- the developer container may include a plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts arranged in parallel to each other and configured to agitate and convey the developer accommodated in the developer container, and the predetermined position for the toner inlet is arranged on a top of one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- the developer container of the process cartridge may further include at least one separating member, each of which is arranged at a center between two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts among the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts and is configured to separate a space between the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts except for end sides of the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts into two oppositely-directed developer conveying paths.
- the predetermined position of the toner inlet is located on one of the at least one separating member associated with one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- a novel method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may include the steps of providing a housing of a process cartridge to the image forming apparatus, placing a pair of side plates arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the process cartridge and configured to support the image bearing member, the developer container, and the developer bearing member, locating an image bearing member in the process cartridge, the image bearing member being configured to form an electrostatic latent image in an electrostatic latent image forming area on a surface thereof, locating a developer container in a vicinity of the image bearing member in parallel, the developer container contains a developer, including toner and carriers, and a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface of the developer container, placing a developer bearing member arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member and configured to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member, installing a toner storage, and providing a toner supplying unit between the det
- the above-described method may further include the step of placing a latent image forming unit arranged at a position to avoid obstructing the laser beam, the latent image forming unit being configured to emit a laser beam for irradiating the surface of the image bearing member.
- the above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of mounting a toner inlet shutter arranged on the top surface of the process cartridge and configured to open and close the toner inlet and applying a pressing member configured to push the toner inlet shutter to close the toner inlet when the process cartridge is removed and to be pressed by the toner inlet shutter to open the toner inlet when the process cartridge is installed.
- the above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of providing a plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts arranged in parallel to each other and configured to agitate and convey the developer in the developer container, wherein the predetermined position for the toner inlet is arranged on a top of one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- the above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of providing at least one separating member, each being arranged at a center between two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts among the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts and configured to separate a space between the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts except for end sides of the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts into two oppositely directed developer conveying paths, and the predetermined position of the toner inlet locates on one of the at least one separating member associated with one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- a novel process cartridge may include an image bearing member, a developer container, a developer bearing member, and a pair of side plates.
- the image bearing member is configured to form an electrostatic latent image on a surface of an electrostatic latent image forming device.
- the developer container contains a developer, including toner and carriers, and includes a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface of the developer container.
- the developer bearing member is arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member and is configured to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member.
- FIG. 3 is a drawing of a structure of a color printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a drawing of a structure of a novel process cartridge included in the color printer of FIG. 3 and a path of a laser beam L;
- FIG. 12 is a drawing of a toner outlet, a spring, and a toner outlet shutter of the toner supplying unit when the process cartridge is installed in the color printer;
- FIG. 15 is another drawing of the toner inlet shutter and the spring of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is removed from the color printer.
- a color printer 100 as shown as one example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- the color printer 100 includes an image forming mechanism 100 a , an intermediate transfer system 100 b , an optical writing system 100 c , a sheet handling mechanism 100 d , and a toner feeding mechanism 100 e.
- the process cartridge 101 y includes an image bearing member 102 y and consumable components, such as a discharging unit (not shown), a charging unit 103 y , a developing unit 104 y , and a drum cleaning unit 105 y .
- the process cartridge 101 y communicates with a controller 157 y and a drive motor 141 y .
- the developing unit 104 y includes a developing sleeve 106 y , a developer container 107 y , a first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay , a second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by , and a doctor 108 y .
- the process cartridge 101 y is detachably provided to the color printer 100 so that the consumable components may be replaced when needed.
- the intermediate transfer system 100 b is arranged above the image forming mechanism 100 a and includes an intermediate transfer belt 110 , primary bias rollers 111 y , 111 c , 111 m , and 111 bk , and a belt cleaning unit 112 .
- the intermediate transfer belt 110 is supported by a secondary transfer backup roller 113 , a belt cleaning backup roller 114 , and a tension roller 115 , and is held in contact with the primary bias rollers 111 y , 111 c , 111 m , and 111 bk corresponding to process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk , respectively.
- the belt cleaning unit 112 is disposed in contact with the belt cleaning backup roller 114 .
- the toner feeding mechanism 100 e is arranged above the intermediate transfer system 100 b and includes a toner bottle holder 131 and a plurality of toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk .
- FIG. 5 illustrates a toner bottle 132 y . Since the plurality of toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk have identical structures, FIG. 5 illustrates only the structure of the toner bottle 132 y . In FIG.
- the image bearing member 102 y is rotated clockwise by a drive unit (not shown).
- the charging unit 103 y is applied with a charged voltage, uniformly charging the image bearing member 102 y to a predetermined polarity.
- the developer including the frictionally charged toner having a polarity, is conveyed to the surface of the developing sleeve 106 y and held thereon by a magnetic force generated in the developing sleeve 106 y .
- the developer held on the surface of the developing sleeve 106 y is then conveyed in the direction of rotation of the developing sleeve 106 y as indicated in FIG. 4 .
- the developer is regulated to a predetermined height by the doctor 108 y before being conveyed to the nip portion.
- the developer is transferred onto a surface of the image bearing member 102 y .
- the developer remained on the surface of the developing sleeve 106 y is conveyed toward an upper portion of the developing sleeve 106 y in a developer conveying direction.
- the drum cleaning device 105 y removes residual toner adhering to the surface of the image bearing member 102 y and then the discharging device 103 y removes residual charges on the image bearing member 102 y . After the discharging operation, the image bearing member 102 y is ready for the next image forming operation.
- the intermediate transfer belt 110 forms an endless belt extended with pressure around the secondary transfer backup roller 113 , the belt cleaning backup roller 114 , and the tension roller 115 , rotating counterclockwise by a motor (not shown)
- the intermediate transfer belt 110 is held in contact to form a primary transfer nip between the image bearing member 102 y and the primary bias roller 111 y .
- the primary bias roller 111 y is arranged at a position opposite to the image bearing member 102 y such that the toner image formed on the surface of the image bearing member 102 y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 110 .
- the primary bias roller 111 y receives a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the charged toner so as to transfer it to the inside surface of the intermediate transfer belt 110 , transferring the yellow toner image onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 110 .
- a cyan toner image, a magenta toner image, and a black toner image are sequentially overlaid on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 110 on which the yellow toner image is already formed, such that a primary overlaid toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 110 .
- the primary overlaid toner image is referred to as a primary four-color toner image.
- the sheet feeding cassette 120 accommodates a plurality of recording media such as transfer sheets that include a transfer sheet S.
- the sheet feeding roller 121 and the registration roller pair 122 form a sheet conveying portion.
- the sheet feeding roller 121 is held in contact with the transfer sheet S.
- the transfer sheet S placed on the top of a stack of transfer sheets in the sheet feeding cassette 120 is fed and is conveyed to a portion between rollers of the registration roller pair 122 .
- the registration roller pair 122 stops and feeds the transfer sheet S in synchronization with a movement of the primary four-color toner image towards a secondary transfer area which is a secondary nip portion formed between the intermediate transfer belt 110 and the secondary transfer roller 123 .
- the secondary transfer roller 123 is applied with an adequate predetermined transfer voltage such that the primary four-color image, formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 110 , is transferred on the transfer sheet S to form a secondary four-color image.
- the transfer sheet S that has the secondary four-color image thereon is conveyed further upward and passes between a pair of fixing rollers of the fixing unit 124 .
- the fixing unit 124 fixes the secondary four-color image to the transfer sheet S by applying heat and pressure. After the transfer sheet S passes the fixing unit 124 , the transfer sheet S is discharged by the sheet discharging roller pair 125 to the sheet discharging part 126 provided at the upper portion of the color printer 100 .
- the belt cleaning unit 112 removes residual toner adhering on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 110 .
- the plurality of toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk are separately provided with respect to the respective process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk and detachably arranged to the color printer 100 .
- the optical writing unit 116 is positioned at a location underneath the developer container 107 y of the process cartridge 101 y . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , the laser beam L does not pass over the process cartridge 101 y and the developer container 107 y . This prevents the toner supplying unit 140 y (not shown) from blocking the laser beam L and also contributes to making the color printer 100 smaller in size. Thus, the present invention can provide a further compact printer.
- a bottle cap 134 y is a rotating member rotatably mounted to the bottle body 133 y and configured to block toner from falling there from.
- a handle 135 y is integrally mounted to the bottle cap 134 y while a toner stopper 136 y is slidably movable on the bottle cap 134 y .
- a bottle gear 137 y is provided in the vicinity of a portion for mounting the bottle cap 134 y of the bottle body 133 y .
- the bottle gear 137 y is an input gear used as an input portion integrally mounted to the bottle body 133 y .
- the toner bottle holder 131 supporting the plurality of toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk , will now be described.
- the toner bottle holder 131 includes rollers 160 on an inner bottom surface in the vicinity of end portions of each section where the toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk are disposed for reducing the rotational load of the toner bottles.
- the user places the toner bottle 132 y on the toner bottle holder 131 and turns the handle 135 y , simultaneously turning the bottle cap 134 y and slidably turning the toner stopper 136 y in a direction of rotation of the bottle cap 134 y .
- a toner exit is opened, and the bottle cap 134 y is latched and fixedly connected to the toner bottle holder 131 .
- the user reversely turns the handle 135 y of the toner bottle 132 y so that the bottle cap 134 y is released from the toner bottle holder 131 .
- the toner stopper 136 y is closed and the toner exit is also closed.
- the handle 135 y held by the user the toner bottle 132 y can be removed from the color printer 100 .
- the toner bottle 132 y can be easily exchanged from the color printer 100 .
- the user can simply turn the handle 135 y provided in the bottle cap 134 y so that the toner bottle 132 y can easily be fixed to the toner bottle holder 131 .
- the toner stopper 136 y is closed even if the user tries to turn the handle 135 y , thereby preventing toner from spilling even during the exchange of the toner bottle 132 y.
- FIGS. 7 and 8 operations of toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk and the toner supplying unit 140 y will be described. Since the toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk and the toner supplying units 140 y , 140 c , 140 m , and 140 bk have identical structures, explanations of FIG. 7 is focused on a structure of the toner bottle 132 y and the toner supplying unit 140 y.
- the toner supplying unit 140 y connects the toner bottle 132 y .
- the toner supplying unit 140 y includes a drive motor 141 y , a drive gear 142 y , and a toner conveying pipe 143 y.
- the drive motor 141 y is attached to the toner supplying unit 140 y .
- the drive gear 142 y is an output gear engaged with the bottle gear 137 y provided in the toner bottle 132 y .
- the toner density sensor provided in the developing unit 104 y , and controlled by the controller 157 y , detects whether or not the toner density in the developer container 107 y is within the predetermined values.
- the controller 157 y receives a signal that the toner density is not within the predetermined values, it issues a toner supply request signal to the drive motor 141 y .
- the drive gear 142 y turns the bottle body 133 y , causing the bottle gear 137 y , and consequently the bottle body 133 y to rotate.
- the toner conveying pipe 143 y is a tubular member including a coil (not shown). The toner falls from the toner bottle 132 y to the toner receiver and is supplied through the toner conveying pipe 143 y to the process cartridge 101 y.
- the toner bottle 132 y further includes a toner guide 138 y .
- the toner guide 138 y is a spiral-shaped guiding member formed on an inner surface of the toner bottle 133 y .
- the toner guide 138 y guides toner from the bottom of the toner bottle 137 y toward the bottle cap 134 y , thereby supplying toner in the toner bottle 133 y through an opening (not shown) formed on the bottle cap 134 y to a toner receiver (not shown) of the toner supplying unit 140 y .
- the toner receiver is connected with the toner conveying pipe 143 y .
- the toner conveying pipe 143 y conveys toner from the toner bottle 132 y to the process cartridge 101 y .
- the toner bottle 133 y rotates and the coil of the toner conveying pipe 143 y rotates simultaneously.
- the toner fallen to the toner receiver by the rotation of the coil is conveyed through the toner conveying pipe 143 y and supplied to the developer container 107 y of the process cartridge 101 y .
- the toner density in the developing unit 104 y is controlled.
- the toner density may be detected without using the toner density sensor.
- a reference image may be formed on the image bearing member 102 y , and a light sensor or a CCD camera may count image pixels on the reference image. According to the number of image pixels, the toner is supplied.
- the toner supplying units 140 y , 140 c , 140 m , and 140 bk are arranged next to the intermediate transfer belt 110 of the color printer 100 and are connected to the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk , respectively.
- the toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk , the toner supplying units 140 y , 140 c , 140 m , and 140 bk and the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk are closely arranged at one end of the rollers 113 , 114 , and 115 for supporting the intermediate transfer belt 110 .
- the toner conveying paths to the respective process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk may be made shorter, which minimizes the dimensions of the color printer 100 and reduces toner jam during a toner conveying operation.
- the structure does not require an additional space for a toner supplying unit to be mounted to each of the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk or each of the toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk . Therefore, the process cartridge 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk or the toner bottles 132 y , 132 c , 132 m , and 132 bk can be made smaller in size, compared to the background color printer.
- the color printer 100 includes a front cover 190 at a front side thereof and a guide member (not shown).
- the guide member is provided inside the color printer 100 for guiding the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk so that the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk are slidably inserted to and removed from respective predetermined positions of the color printer 100 shown in FIG. 3 .
- the user To remove the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk from the respective predetermined positions, the user firstly opens the front cover 190 and pulls the four process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk .
- the guide member guides the leading edge of each shaft of the image bearing members 102 y , 102 c , 102 m , and 102 bk to a predetermined position at which each of the image bearing members 102 y , 102 c , 102 m , and 102 bk is not operable and is ready for removal.
- the user mounts the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk onto the guide member and inserts the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk to the predetermined position, stopping the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk in the color printer 100 . Then, the user closes the front cover 190 so that the process cartridges 101 y , 101 c , 101 m , and 101 bk are securely installed.
- FIGS. 10 and 11 an operational status of the process cartridges 101 y , the toner bottle 132 y , and the toner supplying unit 140 y will be described. The explanations will be given focusing on the toner bottle 132 y , the process cartridge 101 y , and the toner supplying units 140 y .
- FIG. 10 shows the operational status of the color printer 100 of FIG. 3 , to which the process cartridge 101 y , and the toner bottle 132 y are connected by means of the toner supplying unit 140 y .
- FIG. 11 shows the operational status of the components of FIG. 10 , viewed from another angle.
- the process cartridge 101 y of FIG. 10 includes a side plate 161 ay , a toner inlet 162 y , a supporting ring 163 y , a spring 166 y , and a toner inlet shutter 167 y .
- the side plate 161 ay is one of a pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by provided to one end of the process cartridge 101 y .
- the side plate 161 by (not shown) is provided to the other end of the process cartridge 101 y , which is not illustrated in FIG. 10 .
- the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by is arranged in parallel at both ends of the process cartridge 101 y , has a predetermined width, and supports shafts of the image bearing member 102 y , the developing sleeve 106 y , and the first and second toner agitating screwed shafts 107 ay and 107 by at both ends of each shaft in a longitudinal direction.
- the toner inlet 162 y is formed on an upper surface of the developer container 107 y of FIG. 4 and is arranged within the predetermined width between the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by .
- the process cartridge 101 y does not have to widen the predetermined width between the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by nor to provide an additional space for a new toner supplying portion to the outside of the process cartridge 101 y . Therefore, this prevents the process cartridge 101 y from being larger in size.
- the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by are arranged in parallel to have a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the process cartridge 101 y .
- the predetermined distance may be different in part due to mechanisms for supporting the components of the process cartridge 101 y and, regardless of it, a toner inlet such as the toner inlet 162 y is formed in an area within the predetermined longitudinal width.
- the supporting ring 163 y is a ring-shaped member and is arranged on a top surface of the developer container 107 y of the process cartridge 101 y .
- the supporting ring 163 y is configured to pass a lower-end portion of the toner conveying pipe 143 y.
- an upper-end portion of the toner supplying unit 140 y is connected with the toner bottle 132 y and a lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit 140 y is connected with the process cartridge 101 y .
- Each end of the upper- and lower-end portions of the toner conveying pipe 143 y is closed.
- the toner supplying unit 140 y of FIG. 10 includes a toner outlet 145 y ( FIG. 12 ) and a toner receiver (not shown).
- the toner outlet 145 y is disposed in a bottom surface of the lower-end potion of the toner supplying pipe 143 y facing the toner inlet 162 y downwardly so that the toner drops by its own weight into the developer container 107 y and is consequently conveyed from the toner outlet 145 y to the toner inlet 162 y of the process cartridge 101 y.
- a toner outlet having a different form may also be applied to the toner supplying unit 140 y .
- an opening provided to the lower end of the toner conveying pipe 143 y can be used as a toner outlet.
- a lower-end portion of the toner conveying pipe 143 y which is a pipe-shaped part, engages the toner conveying pipe 143 y with the process cartridge 101 y when the process cartridge 101 y is slidably moved toward the toner conveying pipe 143 y during the installation.
- the process cartridge 101 y When the process cartridge 101 y is installed in the color printer 100 , the process cartridge 101 y is slidably inserted in a direction A ( FIG. 10 ) and is stopped when it reaches a predetermined position. At the predetermined position, the toner outlet 145 y faces the toner inlet 162 y . As shown in FIG. 11 , the toner conveyed through the toner supplying unit 140 y is supplied at the toner inlet 162 y into the developer container 107 y . When the process cartridge 101 y is removed from the color printer 100 , the process cartridge 101 y is pulled in a direction B of FIG. 10 .
- the supporting ring 163 y of FIG. 10 blocks a passage of the toner conveying pipe 143 y .
- the toner outlet shutter 147 y provided to the lower-end portion of the toner conveying pipe 143 y , is pressed toward the spring 146 y , causing it to shrink, consequently exposing, the toner outlet 145 y for supplying the toner to the toner inlet 162 y of the process cartridge 101 y as shown in FIG. 12 .
- the toner conveying pipe 143 y is separated from the supporting ring 163 y .
- the toner outlet shutter 147 y is released from the pressure applied by the supporting ring 163 y and the spring 146 y rebounds, pushing the toner outlet shutter 147 y over, the toner outlet 145 y , closing it as shown in FIG. 13 .
- the spring 166 y and the toner inlet shutter 167 y are configured to control the opening and closing of the toner inlet 162 y .
- the spring 166 y is engaged with the toner inlet shutter 167 y.
- the supporting ring 163 y blocks the passage of the toner conveying pipe 143 y as described above.
- the toner inlet shutter 167 y provided on the top surface of the developer container 107 y , is pressed by the lower-end portion of the toner conveying pipe 143 y toward the spring 166 y , compressing it, consequently, exposing opened the toner inlet 162 y for receiving toner as shown in FIG. 14 .
- the toner conveying pipe 143 y is separated from the supporting ring 163 y as described above.
- the toner inlet shutter 167 y is released from the pressure applied by the supporting ring 163 y and the spring 166 y rebounds, closing the toner inlet 162 y with the toner inlet shutter 167 y as shown in FIG. 15 .
- a sealing member (not shown), arranged at a portion of the toner outlet 145 y , faces the toner inlet 162 y to prevent the toner from falling from a gap which may be formed between the toner outlet 145 y and the toner inlet 162 y.
- the toner conveying pipe 143 y is stopped by the supporting ring 163 y , which presses the toner outlet shutter 147 y to open the toner outlet 145 y .
- the toner inlet shutter 167 y is pressed by the lower-end portion of the toner conveying pipe 143 y to open the toner inlet 162 y.
- the toner conveying pipe 143 y is released by the supporting ring 163 y .
- the toner outlet shutter 147 y is pressed by the spring 146 y rebounding to its original position to close the toner outlet 145 y and the toner inlet shutter 167 y is pressed by the spring 166 y rebounding to its original position to close the toner inlet 162 y.
- the developer container 107 y includes the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay and the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by .
- the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by is provided at a position away from the developing sleeve 106 y .
- the toner inlet 162 y is arranged at a position on the top surface of the process cartridge 101 y above the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by .
- the toner supplied to the developer container 107 y is firstly agitated by the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by followed by agitation by the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay , and is then conveyed to the developing sleeve 106 y . Therefore, the toner is sufficiently agitated before it is conveyed to the developing sleeve 106 y.
- a separator 158 y is provided at a central position between the first and second toner conveying screwed shafts 107 ay and 107 by except at both end sides of each screwed shaft in a developer conveying direction.
- a developer conveying path for the developer is partly separated.
- the toner inlet 162 y is arranged at a position over an area separated by the separator 158 y in a direction where the developer travels along the developer conveying path, assuring sufficient agitation.
- the toner inlet 162 y is arranged at a position away from the area separated by the separator 158 y and the toner is supplied through the toner inlet 162 y over to the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by , the toner may be conveyed directly to the agitating area of the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay without being agitated by the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by . This is similar to the case when the toner is supplied over the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay . Both of these latter cases are likely to cause insufficiently agitated toner to be conveyed to the developing sleeve 106 y .
- the toner inlet 162 y at the position over the area separated by the separator 158 y as previously described, the toner is sufficiently agitated by the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by and then by the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay before it is conveyed to the developing sleeve 106 y.
- the toner inlet 162 y of FIG. 16 may be arranged at a position within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of an electrostatic latent image forming area of the image bearing member 102 y .
- the electrostatic latent image forming area is within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by arranged to the process cartridge 101 y .
- the toner inlet 162 y of FIG. 16 may be arranged at a position within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of a toner image developing area of the image bearing member 102 y .
- the toner image developing area is within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by arranged to the process cartridge 101 y .
- the toner image developing area is equal to or smaller than the electrostatic latent image forming area.
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a process cartridge, a toner storage, and a toner supplying unit. The process cartridge includes an image bearing member, a developer container, a developer bearing member, and a pair of side plates. The developer container includes a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on one of its top surface. The pair of side plates are arranged in parallel and separated by a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the process cartridge and configured to support the components in the process cartridge.
Description
- This application is a Division of and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 from U.S. Ser. No. 10/792,694, filed Mar. 5, 2004, and claims the benefit of Priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-059126, filed on Mar. 5, 2003, the entire contents of each which are incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printing machine and the like and a process cartridge detachably mounted to the image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a process cartridge having a developing unit and other image forming components, and a reservoir containing toner to be supplied to the developing unit and to the process cartridge itself.
- 2. Disscussion of the Background
- A background image forming apparatus includes a detachable process cartridge in which consumable components, such as a developing unit including a developer bearing member and a developer container, an image bearing member, an electric charging unit, a cleaning unit and the like are integrally mounted. When the developer container is empty of toner, the process cartridge is replaced by a new process cartridge, allowing a user to replenish toner and exchange the consumable components at one time. Such a cartridge replacement operation is simpler than others where the replenishment of toner and the exchange of the consumable components are separately performed.
- However, when image forming processes repeatedly involve print jobs of images having a large area coverage, a large amount of toner is consumed in a relatively small number of printouts. In these cases, the process cartridge runs out of toner and must be replaced before the other consumable components reach the end of their useful life.
- To avoid the above-described waste, a technique has been proposed such that a toner bottle is detachably arranged in the process cartridge to separately replenish the toner from the toner bottle to the developing unit. However, when the toner bottle is replaced, the user firstly needs to remove the process cartridge out of the image forming apparatus before removing the toner bottle from the process cartridge. This makes the toner replenishment process long and complicated.
- Another easier technique used in background image forming apparatuses for replacing a toner bottle includes providing the process cartridge and the toner separate from each other and detachably arranged therein. However, since the process cartridge needs to be arranged in the vicinity of the toner bottle, the process cartridge and the toner bottle cannot be flexibly arranged in the image forming apparatus. A flexibility in positioning the process cartridge and the toner bottle is required in order to better utilize space in the image forming apparatus and to allow an overall size reduction, particularly, in full-color image forming apparatuses referring four or more sets of toner bottles and process cartridges. Therefore, the flexibility of positioning toner bottles and process cartridges needs to be increased.
- Another technique proposed for improving the background image forming apparatus is to arrange the toner bottle away from the process cartridge and to provide a toner supplying unit for supplying the toner in the toner bottle to a developer container in the process cartridge. This increases the flexibility of positioning the process cartridge and the toner bottle in the background image forming apparatus. However, when the toner bottle is arranged away from the process cartridge, the image forming apparatus is made larger because of additional structure needed to support a toner supplying portion.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , operations of abackground process cartridge 1 are described. Thisprocess cartridge 1 is one of a plurality of process cartridges for a background color image forming apparatus (not shown). The plurality of process cartridges have identical structures. Therefore, an explanation will be given focusing on the operations performed by theprocess cartridge 1. - The
process cartridge 1 includes animage bearing member 2 and image forming components, such as a charging unit 3, a developingunit 4 and adrum cleaning unit 5. The developingunit 4 includes a developingsleeve 6 and a developer container 7 having a firstdeveloper agitating member 7 a and a seconddeveloper agitating member 7 b. - The
image bearing member 2 is a drum-shaped photoconductive element which forms an electrostatic latent image for a single color toner image on its surface. The image forming components are arranged around theimage bearing member 2 and form the single color toner image based on the electrostatic latent image formed on theimage bearing member 2. When toner of a predetermined color is supplied to the developer container 7, the first and seconddeveloper agitating members developer agitating member 7 a conveys the toner toward a surface of the developingsleeve 6. Concurrently with the operation of transferring the toner to the developingsleeve 6, theimage bearing member 2 rotating counterclockwise is charged by the charging unit 3 and irradiated by a laser beam L emitted from an optical writing unit (not shown) so that an electrostatic latent image is formed on a surface of theimage bearing member 2. The toner held on the surface of the developingsleeve 6 is transferred to the surface of theimage bearing member 2 at a nip portion formed between the developingsleeve 6 and theimage bearing member 2, and the single color toner image is formed on the surface of theimage bearing member 2. Then, the toner image is transferred onto a transfer medium. Residual toner adhering on the surface of theimage bearing member 2 is removed by thedrum cleaning unit 5. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , the laser beam L emitted by the optical writing unit arranged below theprocess cartridge 1 has to travel over the developer container 7. In a background printer including a process cartridge having such a structure, a toner supplying unit (not shown) has to be provided at a portion where it does not block the laser beam L; therefore, possible locations for the toner supplying unit are limited. - Generally, an open/close mechanism is provided to an engaging portion of the
process cartridge 1 and the toner supplying unit and a predetermined space is required to mount members for the engaging portion. Moreover, the toner moves by gravity from the toner supplying unit to theprocess cartridge 1. However, if the toner supplying unit is arranged to a portion higher than theprocess cartridge 1, a part of the toner supplying unit occupies a space over the developer container 7, which may result in a blockage of the laser beam L. - In order to avoid the inconvenience of the location of the toner supplying unit, it is proposed that the toner supplying unit be provided next to the developer container 7 of the
process cartridge 1. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , atoner supplying portion 8 provided to thebackground process cartridge 1 ofFIG. 1 is described. Theprocess cartridge 1 further includes thetoner supplying portion 8. Thetoner supplying portion 8 includes a toner conveying shaft 9 having a mylar 9 a at an end portion thereof. Thetoner supplying portion 8 receives the toner supplied from a toner bottle (not shown). The toner conveying shaft 9 is rotated so that the mylar 9 a agitates and conveys the toner toward the developer container 7. Namely, the toner in the toner bottle is supplied to the developer container 7 not directly but via thetoner supplying portion 8. As shown inFIG. 2 , thetoner supplying portion 8 needs to be provided in addition to the developer container 7, making the size of theprocess cartridge 1, and consequently the size of the image forming apparatus also larger. - As described above, in order to increase the flexibility in locating a process cartridge and a toner bottle in an image forming apparatus, it is required to locate the toner bottle at a portion away from the process cartridge, thereby allowing the overall size of the image forming apparatus to be minimized.
- The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a novel image forming apparatus that eliminates the above-described condition.
- It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel process cartridge included in the novel image forming apparatus.
- In one exemplary embodiment, a novel image forming apparatus includes a process cartridge, a toner storage and a toner supplying unit. The process cartridge further includes an image bearing member, a developer container, a developer bearing member, and a pair of side plates. The image bearing member is configured to form an electrostatic latent image in an image forming area on a surface thereof. The developer container contains a developer, including toner and carriers, and includes a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface thereof. The developer bearing member is arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member and is configured to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member. The pair of side plates are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined distance which defines a predetermined longitudinal width of the process cartridge and are configured to support the image bearing member, the developer container, and the developer bearing member. The toner supplying unit is configured to convey the toner from the detachable toner storage to the developer container through the toner inlet.
- The predetermined position for the toner inlet may be located within the predetermined longitudinal width between the pair of side plates.
- The predetermined position for the toner inlet may be located within an area of the predetermined longitudinal width between the pair of side plates corresponding to the electrostatic latent image forming area of the image bearing member.
- The predetermined position for the toner inlet may be located within an area of the predetermined longitudinal width between the pair of side plates corresponding to the toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member.
- The above-described image forming apparatus may further include a latent image forming unit configured to emit a laser beam for irradiating the surface of the image bearing member, and arranged at a position to avoid obstructing the laser beam.
- The predetermined position for the toner inlet may be below a top surface of the developer bearing member.
- The toner supplying unit may include a tubular engager and a toner outlet. The tubular engager is mounted to a lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit and is configured to slide in a direction parallel to a direction in which the process cartridge is inserted to engage the toner supplying unit with the process cartridge as the process cartridge is inserted. The toner outlet is arranged at a position in the lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit to face the toner inlet of the developer container of the process cartridge for supplying the toner conveyed through the toner supplying unit.
- The toner supplying unit may further include a toner outlet shutter and a pressing member. The toner outlet shutter is movably mounted to the lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit and is configured to open and close the toner outlet. The pressing member is configured to push the toner outlet shutter for closing the toner outlet when the process cartridge is removed and to be pressed by the toner outlet shutter for opening the toner outlet when the process cartridge is installed.
- The developer container of the process cartridge may further include a toner inlet shutter and a pressing member. The toner inlet shutter is arranged on the top surface of the process cartridge and is configured to open and close the toner inlet. The pressing member is configured to push the toner inlet shutter for closing the toner inlet when the process cartridge is removed and to be pressed by the toner inlet shutter for opening the toner inlet when the process cartridge is installed.
- The developer container may include a plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts arranged in parallel to each other and configured to agitate and convey the developer accommodated in the developer container, and the predetermined position for the toner inlet is arranged on a top of one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- The developer container of the process cartridge may further include at least one separating member, each of which is arranged at a center between two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts among the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts and is configured to separate a space between the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts except for end sides of the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts into two oppositely-directed developer conveying paths. And the predetermined position of the toner inlet is located on one of the at least one separating member associated with one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- Further, in one exemplary embodiment, a novel method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may include the steps of providing a housing of a process cartridge to the image forming apparatus, placing a pair of side plates arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the process cartridge and configured to support the image bearing member, the developer container, and the developer bearing member, locating an image bearing member in the process cartridge, the image bearing member being configured to form an electrostatic latent image in an electrostatic latent image forming area on a surface thereof, locating a developer container in a vicinity of the image bearing member in parallel, the developer container contains a developer, including toner and carriers, and a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface of the developer container, placing a developer bearing member arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member and configured to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member, installing a toner storage, and providing a toner supplying unit between the detachable toner storage and the developer container to convey toner from the toner storage to the developer container through the toner inlet.
- The above-described method may further include the step of placing a latent image forming unit arranged at a position to avoid obstructing the laser beam, the latent image forming unit being configured to emit a laser beam for irradiating the surface of the image bearing member.
- The above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of mounting a tubular engager to a lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit configured to slide in a direction parallel to a direction in which the process cartridge is inserted to engage the toner supplying unit with the process cartridge, and applying a toner outlet arranged at a position in the lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit to face the toner inlet of the developer container of the process cartridge for supplying the toner conveyed through the toner supplying unit.
- The above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of mounting a toner outlet shutter to the lower-end portion of the toner supplying unit to open and close the toner outlet, and applying a pressing member configured to push the toner outlet shutter to close the toner outlet when the process cartridge is removed and to open the toner outlet when the process cartridge is installed.
- The above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of mounting a toner inlet shutter arranged on the top surface of the process cartridge and configured to open and close the toner inlet and applying a pressing member configured to push the toner inlet shutter to close the toner inlet when the process cartridge is removed and to be pressed by the toner inlet shutter to open the toner inlet when the process cartridge is installed.
- The above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of providing a plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts arranged in parallel to each other and configured to agitate and convey the developer in the developer container, wherein the predetermined position for the toner inlet is arranged on a top of one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- The above-described method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus may further include the steps of providing at least one separating member, each being arranged at a center between two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts among the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts and configured to separate a space between the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts except for end sides of the two neighboring toner conveying screwed shafts into two oppositely directed developer conveying paths, and the predetermined position of the toner inlet locates on one of the at least one separating member associated with one of the plurality of toner conveying screwed shafts not immediately next to the developer bearing member.
- Further, in one exemplary embodiment, a novel process cartridge may include an image bearing member, a developer container, a developer bearing member, and a pair of side plates. The image bearing member is configured to form an electrostatic latent image on a surface of an electrostatic latent image forming device. The developer container contains a developer, including toner and carriers, and includes a toner inlet mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface of the developer container. The developer bearing member is arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member and is configured to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member. The pair of side plates are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined distance defining a longitudinal width of the process cartridge to support the image bearing member, the developer container, and the developer bearing member. The process cartridge is detachably provided to an image forming apparatus which includes a toner storage and a toner supplying unit to convey toner from the toner storage to the developer container through the toner inlet.
- Further, in one exemplary embodiment, a novel method of manufacturing a process cartridge includes the steps of placing a pair of side plates, arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined distance to define a predetermined longitudinal width of the process cartridge, to support the image bearing member, the developer container, and the developer bearing member, locating an image bearing member in the process cartridge, the image bearing member being configured to form an electrostatic latent image on an area a surface of an electrostatic latent image forming device, locating a developer container in the vicinity of and parallel to the image bearing member, the developer container containing a developer, including toner and carriers, and a toner inlet, mounted at a predetermined position on a top surface of the developer container, to receive toner into the developer container, and placing a developer bearing member arranged in a vicinity of and in parallel with the image bearing member to carry the developer to a toner image developing area formed between the image bearing member and the developer bearing member.
- A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a drawing of a structure of a background process cartridge and a path of a laser beam L; -
FIG. 2 is a drawing of another background process cartridge having a toner supplying portion mounted thereon; -
FIG. 3 is a drawing of a structure of a color printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a drawing of a structure of a novel process cartridge included in the color printer ofFIG. 3 and a path of a laser beam L; -
FIG. 5 is a drawing of a toner bottle provided to the color printer ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 6 is a drawing of four toner bottles mounted to a toner bottle holder provided to a toner supplying mechanism in the color printer ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 7 is a drawing of the four toner bottles engaged with respective toner supplying units; -
FIG. 8 is a drawing of the four toner bottles connected with respective process cartridges by the respective toner supplying units ofFIG. 7 ; -
FIG. 9 is a drawing of the color printer ofFIG. 3 with a front door open when four process cartridges are installed or removed guided by a guide member provided to the color printer; -
FIG. 10 is a drawing of the process cartridge, the toner bottle, and the toner supplying unit in an operational status; -
FIG. 11 is another drawing of the process cartridge engaged with the corresponding toner supplying unit ofFIG. 10 viewed from another angle; -
FIG. 12 is a drawing of a toner outlet, a spring, and a toner outlet shutter of the toner supplying unit when the process cartridge is installed in the color printer; -
FIG. 13 is a drawing of the toner outlet, the spring, and the toner outlet shutter of the toner supplying unit when the process cartridge is removed from the color printer; -
FIG. 14 is a drawing of a toner inlet shutter and a spring of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is installed in the color printer; -
FIG. 15 is another drawing of the toner inlet shutter and the spring of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is removed from the color printer; and -
FIG. 16 is a drawing of a developer container of the process cartridge, illustrating the position of the toner inlet ofFIG. 10 . - In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner.
- Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, particularly to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , acolor printer 100 as shown as one example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. - In
FIG. 3 , thecolor printer 100 includes animage forming mechanism 100 a, anintermediate transfer system 100 b, anoptical writing system 100 c, asheet handling mechanism 100 d, and atoner feeding mechanism 100 e. - The
image forming mechanism 100 a includes fourprocess cartridges respective process cartridges FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged sectional view of theprocess cartridge 101 y. Sinceprocess cartridges FIG. 4 illustrates only theprocess cartridge 101 y. - In
FIG. 4 , theprocess cartridge 101 y includes animage bearing member 102 y and consumable components, such as a discharging unit (not shown), a chargingunit 103 y, a developingunit 104 y, and adrum cleaning unit 105 y. Theprocess cartridge 101 y communicates with acontroller 157 y and adrive motor 141 y. The developingunit 104 y includes a developingsleeve 106 y, adeveloper container 107 y, a first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay, a second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by, and adoctor 108 y. Theprocess cartridge 101 y is detachably provided to thecolor printer 100 so that the consumable components may be replaced when needed. - The
intermediate transfer system 100 b is arranged above theimage forming mechanism 100 a and includes anintermediate transfer belt 110,primary bias rollers belt cleaning unit 112. Theintermediate transfer belt 110 is supported by a secondarytransfer backup roller 113, a belt cleaningbackup roller 114, and atension roller 115, and is held in contact with theprimary bias rollers cartridges belt cleaning unit 112 is disposed in contact with the belt cleaningbackup roller 114. - The
optical writing system 100 c is arranged below theimage forming mechanism 100 a and includes anoptical writing unit 116. - The
sheet handling mechanism 100 d includes asheet feeding cassette 120, asheet feeding roller 121, aregistration roller pair 122, asecondary transfer roller 123, a fixingunit 124, a sheet dischargingroller pair 125, and asheet discharging part 126. - The
toner feeding mechanism 100 e is arranged above theintermediate transfer system 100 b and includes atoner bottle holder 131 and a plurality oftoner bottles FIG. 5 illustrates atoner bottle 132 y. Since the plurality oftoner bottles FIG. 5 illustrates only the structure of thetoner bottle 132 y. InFIG. 5 , thetoner bottle 132 y includes abottle body 133 y, abottle cap 134 y, ahandle 135 y, atoner stopper 136 y, and abottle gear 137 y. Thetoner bottle 132 y is detachably arranged to thetoner bottle holder 131 as illustrated inFIG. 7 . - The
color printer 100 produces a full-color image through the following operations. Theoptical writing system 100 c emits laser beams to theimage forming mechanism 100 a. Theimage forming mechanism 100 a produces different color images with toners conveyed by thetoner feeding mechanism 100 e and transfers the images one after another onto theintermediate transfer system 100 b to form an overlaid full-color image, which is subsequently transferred onto a transfer sheet fed by thesheet handling mechanism 100 d. The full-color image transferred onto the transfer sheet is then fixed and discharged onto the top of thecolor printer 100. - More specifically, the operations for producing the full-color image are described below. The
optical writing unit 116 emits a laser beam L according to image data. Theoptical writing unit 116 employs a polygon mirror driven by a motor to deflect the laser beam L to irradiate a surface of theimage bearing member 102 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y via a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors so that an electrostatic latent image is formed. - Referring now to
FIG. 4 , operations of theimage forming mechanism 100 a are described. As previously described, theprocess cartridges process cartridge 101 y. - Image forming components, such as the charging
unit 103 y, the developingunit 104 y, thedrum cleaning unit 105 y, are arranged around theimage bearing member 102 y and form a single color toner image based on the electrostatic latent image formed on theimage bearing member 102 y. - The
image bearing member 102 y is rotated clockwise by a drive unit (not shown). - The charging
unit 103 y is applied with a charged voltage, uniformly charging theimage bearing member 102 y to a predetermined polarity. - The developing
unit 104 y thus visualizes the electrostatic latent image as a yellow toner image. The developingsleeve 106 y is rotatably arranged in the developingunit 104 y and is closely placed opposite to theimage bearing member 102 y through an open space formed on the developingunit 104 y. The developingsleeve 106 y is a developer bearing member and includes a magnetic field generator so that it can hold two-component toner on its surface, including magnetic particles and toner. Thedoctor 108 y is a developer regulating member for regulating a toner layer to a predetermined height positioned in a vicinity of the developingsleeve 106 y. As illustrated inFIG. 4 , thedeveloper container 107 y is positioned before thedoctor 108 y and holds developer prevented by thedoctor 108 y from being conveyed to the developing area, which is a nip portion formed between the developingsleeve 106 y and theimage bearing member 102 y. The function of the first and second toner conveying screwed shafts 107 ay and 107 by is to agitate the toner. - Toner is supplied to the developing
container 107 y so that a toner density is kept within a predetermined range. The developingunit 104 y includes a toner density sensor (not shown) for detecting the toner density in thedeveloper container 107 y and reporting it to acontroller 157 y. Upon receiving a detection result that the toner density is not in the predetermined range, thecontroller 157 y issues a toner supply request signal to adrive motor 141 y to control the toner density. The toner supplied into thedeveloper container 107 y is rubbed with a carrier and is frictionally charged. The developer, including the frictionally charged toner having a polarity, is conveyed to the surface of the developingsleeve 106 y and held thereon by a magnetic force generated in the developingsleeve 106 y. The developer held on the surface of the developingsleeve 106 y is then conveyed in the direction of rotation of the developingsleeve 106 y as indicated inFIG. 4 . The developer is regulated to a predetermined height by thedoctor 108 y before being conveyed to the nip portion. Then, the developer is transferred onto a surface of theimage bearing member 102 y. The developer remained on the surface of the developingsleeve 106 y is conveyed toward an upper portion of the developingsleeve 106 y in a developer conveying direction. - The
drum cleaning device 105 y removes residual toner adhering to the surface of theimage bearing member 102 y and then the dischargingdevice 103 y removes residual charges on theimage bearing member 102 y. After the discharging operation, theimage bearing member 102 y is ready for the next image forming operation. - In
FIG. 3 , theintermediate transfer belt 110 forms an endless belt extended with pressure around the secondarytransfer backup roller 113, the belt cleaningbackup roller 114, and thetension roller 115, rotating counterclockwise by a motor (not shown) Theintermediate transfer belt 110 is held in contact to form a primary transfer nip between theimage bearing member 102 y and theprimary bias roller 111 y. Theprimary bias roller 111 y is arranged at a position opposite to theimage bearing member 102 y such that the toner image formed on the surface of theimage bearing member 102 y is transferred onto theintermediate transfer belt 110. Theprimary bias roller 111 y receives a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the charged toner so as to transfer it to the inside surface of theintermediate transfer belt 110, transferring the yellow toner image onto the surface of theintermediate transfer belt 110. A cyan toner image, a magenta toner image, and a black toner image are sequentially overlaid on the surface of theintermediate transfer belt 110 on which the yellow toner image is already formed, such that a primary overlaid toner image is formed on theintermediate transfer belt 110. Hereinafter, the primary overlaid toner image is referred to as a primary four-color toner image. After the toner images in different colors are sequentially transferred on theintermediate transfer belt 110, residual toners on theprocess cartridges belt cleaning device 112. - In
FIG. 3 , thesheet feeding cassette 120 accommodates a plurality of recording media such as transfer sheets that include a transfer sheet S. Thesheet feeding roller 121 and theregistration roller pair 122 form a sheet conveying portion. Thesheet feeding roller 121 is held in contact with the transfer sheet S. When thesheet feeding roller 121 is rotated counterclockwise by a drive motor (not shown), the transfer sheet S placed on the top of a stack of transfer sheets in thesheet feeding cassette 120 is fed and is conveyed to a portion between rollers of theregistration roller pair 122. Theregistration roller pair 122 stops and feeds the transfer sheet S in synchronization with a movement of the primary four-color toner image towards a secondary transfer area which is a secondary nip portion formed between theintermediate transfer belt 110 and thesecondary transfer roller 123. Thesecondary transfer roller 123 is applied with an adequate predetermined transfer voltage such that the primary four-color image, formed on the surface of theintermediate transfer belt 110, is transferred on the transfer sheet S to form a secondary four-color image. - The transfer sheet S that has the secondary four-color image thereon is conveyed further upward and passes between a pair of fixing rollers of the fixing
unit 124. The fixingunit 124 fixes the secondary four-color image to the transfer sheet S by applying heat and pressure. After the transfer sheet S passes the fixingunit 124, the transfer sheet S is discharged by the sheet dischargingroller pair 125 to thesheet discharging part 126 provided at the upper portion of thecolor printer 100. Thebelt cleaning unit 112 removes residual toner adhering on the surface of theintermediate transfer belt 110. - Toner supplied from the
toner feeding mechanism 100 e is provided at an upper portion of thecolor printer 100 between theintermediate transfer system 100 b and thesheet discharging part 126. Thetoner bottle holder 131 holds the plurality oftoner bottles respective process cartridges toner bottles respective process cartridges color printer 100. - As shown in
FIG. 3 , theoptical writing unit 116 is positioned at a location underneath thedeveloper container 107 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 4 , the laser beam L does not pass over theprocess cartridge 101 y and thedeveloper container 107 y. This prevents thetoner supplying unit 140 y (not shown) from blocking the laser beam L and also contributes to making thecolor printer 100 smaller in size. Thus, the present invention can provide a further compact printer. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , a structure of ayellow toner bottle 132 y will now be described. Abottle cap 134 y is a rotating member rotatably mounted to thebottle body 133 y and configured to block toner from falling there from. Ahandle 135 y is integrally mounted to thebottle cap 134 y while atoner stopper 136 y is slidably movable on thebottle cap 134 y. Abottle gear 137 y is provided in the vicinity of a portion for mounting thebottle cap 134 y of thebottle body 133 y. Thebottle gear 137 y is an input gear used as an input portion integrally mounted to thebottle body 133 y. When thetoner bottle 132 y is mounted to thecolor printer 100, a user opens a portion where thesheet discharging part 126 ofFIG. 3 is located, exposing atoner bottle holder 131. - Referring to
FIG. 6 , thetoner bottle holder 131, supporting the plurality oftoner bottles - The
toner bottle holder 131 includesrollers 160 on an inner bottom surface in the vicinity of end portions of each section where thetoner bottles - To mount the
toner bottle 132 y on thetoner bottle holder 131, the user places thetoner bottle 132 y on thetoner bottle holder 131 and turns thehandle 135 y, simultaneously turning thebottle cap 134 y and slidably turning thetoner stopper 136 y in a direction of rotation of thebottle cap 134 y. By such mounting process a toner exit is opened, and thebottle cap 134 y is latched and fixedly connected to thetoner bottle holder 131. - To remove the
toner bottle 132 y fromtoner bottle holder 131 in thecolor printer 100, the user reversely turns thehandle 135 y of thetoner bottle 132 y so that thebottle cap 134 y is released from thetoner bottle holder 131. At this time, thetoner stopper 136 y is closed and the toner exit is also closed. With thehandle 135 y held by the user, thetoner bottle 132 y can be removed from thecolor printer 100. With such an advantageous structure, thetoner bottle 132 y can be easily exchanged from thecolor printer 100. Further, the user can simply turn thehandle 135 y provided in thebottle cap 134 y so that thetoner bottle 132 y can easily be fixed to thetoner bottle holder 131. When thetoner bottle 132 y is not mounted to thecolor printer 100, thetoner stopper 136 y is closed even if the user tries to turn thehandle 135 y, thereby preventing toner from spilling even during the exchange of thetoner bottle 132 y. - Referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8 , operations oftoner bottles toner supplying unit 140 y will be described. Since thetoner bottles toner supplying units FIG. 7 is focused on a structure of thetoner bottle 132 y and thetoner supplying unit 140 y. - Operations of the
toner supplying unit 140 y is described with reference toFIG. 7 . Thetoner supplying unit 140 y connects thetoner bottle 132 y. Thetoner supplying unit 140 y includes adrive motor 141 y, adrive gear 142 y, and atoner conveying pipe 143 y. - The
drive motor 141 y is attached to thetoner supplying unit 140 y. Thedrive gear 142 y is an output gear engaged with thebottle gear 137 y provided in thetoner bottle 132 y. As previously described, the toner density sensor, provided in the developingunit 104 y, and controlled by thecontroller 157 y, detects whether or not the toner density in thedeveloper container 107 y is within the predetermined values. When thecontroller 157 y receives a signal that the toner density is not within the predetermined values, it issues a toner supply request signal to thedrive motor 141 y. When thedrive motor 141 y runs, thedrive gear 142 y turns thebottle body 133 y, causing thebottle gear 137 y, and consequently thebottle body 133 y to rotate. - The
toner conveying pipe 143 y is a tubular member including a coil (not shown). The toner falls from thetoner bottle 132 y to the toner receiver and is supplied through thetoner conveying pipe 143 y to theprocess cartridge 101 y. - The
toner bottle 132 y further includes atoner guide 138 y. Thetoner guide 138 y is a spiral-shaped guiding member formed on an inner surface of thetoner bottle 133 y. When thetoner bottle 133 y is rotated, thetoner guide 138 y guides toner from the bottom of thetoner bottle 137 y toward thebottle cap 134 y, thereby supplying toner in thetoner bottle 133 y through an opening (not shown) formed on thebottle cap 134 y to a toner receiver (not shown) of thetoner supplying unit 140 y. The toner receiver is connected with thetoner conveying pipe 143 y. Thetoner conveying pipe 143 y conveys toner from thetoner bottle 132 y to theprocess cartridge 101 y. When thedrive motor 141 y runs, thetoner bottle 133 y rotates and the coil of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y rotates simultaneously. The toner fallen to the toner receiver by the rotation of the coil is conveyed through thetoner conveying pipe 143 y and supplied to thedeveloper container 107 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y. Thus, the toner density in the developingunit 104 y is controlled. - The toner density may be detected without using the toner density sensor. A reference image may be formed on the
image bearing member 102 y, and a light sensor or a CCD camera may count image pixels on the reference image. According to the number of image pixels, the toner is supplied. - In
FIG. 8 , thetoner supplying units intermediate transfer belt 110 of thecolor printer 100 and are connected to theprocess cartridges - The
toner bottles toner supplying units process cartridges rollers intermediate transfer belt 110. With the structure as described above, the toner conveying paths to therespective process cartridges color printer 100 and reduces toner jam during a toner conveying operation. That is, the structure does not require an additional space for a toner supplying unit to be mounted to each of theprocess cartridges toner bottles process cartridge toner bottles color printer 100 has a space to place theprocess cartridge respective toner bottles color printer 100 can be made smaller. - Referring to
FIG. 9 , an installation and removal of theprocess cartridges process cartridges process cartridges - The
color printer 100 includes afront cover 190 at a front side thereof and a guide member (not shown). The guide member is provided inside thecolor printer 100 for guiding theprocess cartridges process cartridges color printer 100 shown inFIG. 3 . When theprocess cartridges color printer 100, a leading edge of each shaft of theimage bearing members - To remove the
process cartridges front cover 190 and pulls the fourprocess cartridges process cartridges image bearing members image bearing members process cartridges image bearing members color printer 100. - To install the
process cartridges process cartridges process cartridges process cartridges color printer 100. Then, the user closes thefront cover 190 so that theprocess cartridges - Referring to
FIGS. 10 and 11 , an operational status of theprocess cartridges 101 y, thetoner bottle 132 y, and thetoner supplying unit 140 y will be described. The explanations will be given focusing on thetoner bottle 132 y, theprocess cartridge 101 y, and thetoner supplying units 140 y.FIG. 10 shows the operational status of thecolor printer 100 ofFIG. 3 , to which theprocess cartridge 101 y, and thetoner bottle 132 y are connected by means of thetoner supplying unit 140 y.FIG. 11 shows the operational status of the components ofFIG. 10 , viewed from another angle. - The
process cartridge 101 y ofFIG. 10 includes a side plate 161 ay, atoner inlet 162 y, a supportingring 163 y, aspring 166 y, and atoner inlet shutter 167 y. The side plate 161 ay is one of a pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by provided to one end of theprocess cartridge 101 y. The side plate 161 by (not shown) is provided to the other end of theprocess cartridge 101 y, which is not illustrated inFIG. 10 . The pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by is arranged in parallel at both ends of theprocess cartridge 101 y, has a predetermined width, and supports shafts of theimage bearing member 102 y, the developingsleeve 106 y, and the first and second toner agitating screwed shafts 107 ay and 107 by at both ends of each shaft in a longitudinal direction. Thetoner inlet 162 y is formed on an upper surface of thedeveloper container 107 y ofFIG. 4 and is arranged within the predetermined width between the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by. With this arrangement, theprocess cartridge 101 y does not have to widen the predetermined width between the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by nor to provide an additional space for a new toner supplying portion to the outside of theprocess cartridge 101 y. Therefore, this prevents theprocess cartridge 101 y from being larger in size. - In this embodiment, the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by are arranged in parallel to have a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the
process cartridge 101 y. The predetermined distance may be different in part due to mechanisms for supporting the components of theprocess cartridge 101 y and, regardless of it, a toner inlet such as thetoner inlet 162 y is formed in an area within the predetermined longitudinal width. - The supporting
ring 163 y is a ring-shaped member and is arranged on a top surface of thedeveloper container 107 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y. The supportingring 163 y is configured to pass a lower-end portion of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y. - The
spring 166 y and thetoner inlet shutter 167 y are arranged on the top surface of thedeveloper container 107 y and form an open/close mechanism for thetoner inlet 162 y, which will be described below with reference toFIG. 14 and 15. - In
FIG. 10 , an upper-end portion of thetoner supplying unit 140 y is connected with thetoner bottle 132 y and a lower-end portion of thetoner supplying unit 140 y is connected with theprocess cartridge 101 y. Each end of the upper- and lower-end portions of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y is closed. Thetoner supplying unit 140 y ofFIG. 10 includes atoner outlet 145 y (FIG. 12 ) and a toner receiver (not shown). Thetoner outlet 145 y is disposed in a bottom surface of the lower-end potion of thetoner supplying pipe 143 y facing thetoner inlet 162 y downwardly so that the toner drops by its own weight into thedeveloper container 107 y and is consequently conveyed from thetoner outlet 145 y to thetoner inlet 162 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y. - As an alternative, a toner outlet having a different form may also be applied to the
toner supplying unit 140 y. For example, an opening provided to the lower end of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y can be used as a toner outlet. - A lower-end portion of the
toner conveying pipe 143 y, which is a pipe-shaped part, engages thetoner conveying pipe 143 y with theprocess cartridge 101 y when theprocess cartridge 101 y is slidably moved toward thetoner conveying pipe 143 y during the installation. - When the
process cartridge 101 y is installed in thecolor printer 100, theprocess cartridge 101 y is slidably inserted in a direction A (FIG. 10 ) and is stopped when it reaches a predetermined position. At the predetermined position, thetoner outlet 145 y faces thetoner inlet 162 y. As shown inFIG. 11 , the toner conveyed through thetoner supplying unit 140 y is supplied at thetoner inlet 162 y into thedeveloper container 107 y. When theprocess cartridge 101 y is removed from thecolor printer 100, theprocess cartridge 101 y is pulled in a direction B ofFIG. 10 . - Referring now to
FIGS. 12 and 13 , the open/close mechanism for thetoner outlet 145 y will be described. - The
toner supplying unit 140 y further includes aspring 146 y and atoner outlet shutter 147 y. Thespring 146 y is arranged at a lower end of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y and is engaged with thetoner outlet shutter 147 y. Thetoner outlet shutter 147 y is a tubular member and is arranged at the lower end of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y so that it can cover thetoner outlet 145 y arranged at the tubular lower-end portion of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y. Thespring 146 y and thetoner outlet shutter 147 y are configured to control the opening and closing of thetoner outlet 145 y. - When the
process cartridge 101 y is inserted to thecolor printer 100, the supportingring 163 y ofFIG. 10 blocks a passage of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y. At this time, thetoner outlet shutter 147 y, provided to the lower-end portion of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y, is pressed toward thespring 146 y, causing it to shrink, consequently exposing, thetoner outlet 145 y for supplying the toner to thetoner inlet 162 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y as shown inFIG. 12 . - When the
process cartridge 101 y is removed from thecolor printer 100, thetoner conveying pipe 143 y is separated from the supportingring 163 y. At this time, thetoner outlet shutter 147 y is released from the pressure applied by the supportingring 163 y and thespring 146 y rebounds, pushing thetoner outlet shutter 147 y over, thetoner outlet 145 y, closing it as shown inFIG. 13 . - Referring to
FIGS. 14 and 15 , the open/close mechanism for thetoner inlet 162 y of theprocess cartridge 101 y will be described. - As described above, the
spring 166 y and thetoner inlet shutter 167 y are configured to control the opening and closing of thetoner inlet 162 y. Thespring 166 y is engaged with thetoner inlet shutter 167 y. - When the
process cartridge 101 y is inserted in thecolor printer 100, the supportingring 163 y blocks the passage of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y as described above. As such, thetoner inlet shutter 167 y, provided on the top surface of thedeveloper container 107 y, is pressed by the lower-end portion of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y toward thespring 166 y, compressing it, consequently, exposing opened thetoner inlet 162 y for receiving toner as shown inFIG. 14 . - When the
process cartridge 101 y is removed from thecolor printer 100, thetoner conveying pipe 143 y is separated from the supportingring 163 y as described above. At the same time, thetoner inlet shutter 167 y is released from the pressure applied by the supportingring 163 y and thespring 166 y rebounds, closing thetoner inlet 162 y with thetoner inlet shutter 167 y as shown inFIG. 15 . - A sealing member (not shown), arranged at a portion of the
toner outlet 145 y, faces thetoner inlet 162 y to prevent the toner from falling from a gap which may be formed between thetoner outlet 145 y and thetoner inlet 162 y. - In other words, the open/close mechanisms for the
toner outlet 145 y and thetoner inlet 162 y operate in an interacting manner at the installation and removal of theprocess cartridge 101 y with respect to thecolor printer 100. - When the user inserts the
process cartridge 101 y to install it in thecolor printer 100, thetoner conveying pipe 143 y is stopped by the supportingring 163 y, which presses thetoner outlet shutter 147 y to open thetoner outlet 145 y. At the same time, thetoner inlet shutter 167 y is pressed by the lower-end portion of thetoner conveying pipe 143 y to open thetoner inlet 162 y. - When the user pulls the
process cartridge 101 y out to remove it from thecolor printer 100, thetoner conveying pipe 143 y is released by the supportingring 163 y. At the same time, thetoner outlet shutter 147 y is pressed by thespring 146 y rebounding to its original position to close thetoner outlet 145 y and thetoner inlet shutter 167 y is pressed by thespring 166 y rebounding to its original position to close thetoner inlet 162 y. - Referring to
FIG. 16 , thedeveloper container 107 y will now be described. As previously described, thedeveloper container 107 y includes the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay and the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by. The second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by is provided at a position away from the developingsleeve 106 y. Thetoner inlet 162 y is arranged at a position on the top surface of theprocess cartridge 101 y above the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by. With the structure as described above, the toner supplied to thedeveloper container 107 y is firstly agitated by the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by followed by agitation by the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay, and is then conveyed to the developingsleeve 106 y. Therefore, the toner is sufficiently agitated before it is conveyed to the developingsleeve 106 y. - As shown in
FIG. 16 , aseparator 158 y is provided at a central position between the first and second toner conveying screwed shafts 107 ay and 107 by except at both end sides of each screwed shaft in a developer conveying direction. By providing theseparator 158 y to the portion as described above, a developer conveying path for the developer is partly separated. In this embodiment, thetoner inlet 162 y is arranged at a position over an area separated by theseparator 158 y in a direction where the developer travels along the developer conveying path, assuring sufficient agitation. - In a case where the
toner inlet 162 y is arranged at a position away from the area separated by theseparator 158 y and the toner is supplied through thetoner inlet 162 y over to the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by, the toner may be conveyed directly to the agitating area of the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay without being agitated by the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by. This is similar to the case when the toner is supplied over the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay. Both of these latter cases are likely to cause insufficiently agitated toner to be conveyed to the developingsleeve 106 y. Therefore, by providing thetoner inlet 162 y at the position over the area separated by theseparator 158 y as previously described, the toner is sufficiently agitated by the second toner conveying screwed shaft 107 by and then by the first toner conveying screwed shaft 107 ay before it is conveyed to the developingsleeve 106 y. - Next, another example of the present invention is described. The
toner inlet 162 y ofFIG. 16 may be arranged at a position within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of an electrostatic latent image forming area of theimage bearing member 102 y. The electrostatic latent image forming area is within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by arranged to theprocess cartridge 101 y. By providing thetoner inlet 162 y at the above-described position, theprocess cartridge 101 y may be further minimized. - Next, another example of the present invention is described. The
toner inlet 162 y ofFIG. 16 may be arranged at a position within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of a toner image developing area of theimage bearing member 102 y. The toner image developing area is within a predetermined distance which determines a predetermined longitudinal width of the pair of side plates 161 ay and 161 by arranged to theprocess cartridge 101 y. The toner image developing area is equal to or smaller than the electrostatic latent image forming area. By providing thetoner inlet 162 y at the above-described position, theprocess cartridge 101 y may be further minimized.
Claims (6)
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an intermediate transfer belt;
a plurality of cartridges disposed at intervals under the intermediate transfer belt;
at least one detachable toner storage; and
at least one toner supplying unit configured to convey toner from the at least one detachable toner storage to a developer container through a toner conveying passage arranged at a side portion of the intermediate transfer belt.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the side of the intermediate belt is positioned at one end of a drive shaft of the intermediate transfer belt.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one toner supply unit is disposed at a position higher than the intermediate transfer belt.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a lower-end portion of the at least one toner supply unit is arranged at a position higher than the intermediate transfer belt.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a lower-end portion of the at least toner supply unit is arranged at a position higher than the plurality of cartridges.
6. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
at least one cartridge disposed under the intermediate transfer belt; and
a detachable toner storage; and
a toner supply unit configured to convey toner from the detachable toner storage to a developer container wherein the toner supply unit is laterally positioned with respect to the intermediate transfer belt.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US11/608,376 US7486916B2 (en) | 2003-03-05 | 2006-12-08 | Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2003-059126 | 2003-03-05 | ||
JP2003059126 | 2003-03-05 | ||
US10/792,694 US7162189B2 (en) | 2003-03-05 | 2004-03-05 | Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus |
US11/608,376 US7486916B2 (en) | 2003-03-05 | 2006-12-08 | Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/792,694 Division US7162189B2 (en) | 2003-03-05 | 2004-03-05 | Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus |
Publications (2)
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US20070081835A1 true US20070081835A1 (en) | 2007-04-12 |
US7486916B2 US7486916B2 (en) | 2009-02-03 |
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US11/608,376 Expired - Lifetime US7486916B2 (en) | 2003-03-05 | 2006-12-08 | Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus |
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US10/792,694 Active 2024-08-07 US7162189B2 (en) | 2003-03-05 | 2004-03-05 | Method and apparatus of image forming and process cartridge included in the apparatus |
Country Status (3)
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US (2) | US7162189B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1455245A1 (en) |
CN (2) | CN100349073C (en) |
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US8135311B2 (en) | 2006-08-11 | 2012-03-13 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Developing unit having effective developer transportability, and process cartridge and image forming apparatus using the same |
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US7873291B2 (en) | 2007-06-08 | 2011-01-18 | Ricoh Company Limited | Image forming apparatus and process cartridge including charging bias adjustment control |
US20090016777A1 (en) * | 2007-07-13 | 2009-01-15 | Satoru Miyamoto | Developer container filled with developer for image forming apparatus, and method for producing developer container filled with developer |
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US20090087214A1 (en) * | 2007-09-28 | 2009-04-02 | Kohichi Utsunomiya | Toner supply device and image forming apparatus |
US8126373B2 (en) | 2007-09-28 | 2012-02-28 | Ricoh Company Limited | Toner supply device and image forming apparatus that prevents toner from being scattered from the device |
US8036575B2 (en) | 2007-10-19 | 2011-10-11 | Ricoh Company, Limited | Development device, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge having compact structure for discharging developer |
US20090103951A1 (en) * | 2007-10-19 | 2009-04-23 | Kiyonori Tsuda | Development device, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge having compact structure for discharging developer |
US8090293B2 (en) | 2008-08-08 | 2012-01-03 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Process cartridge and image forming apparatus employing same |
US20100034557A1 (en) * | 2008-08-08 | 2010-02-11 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Process cartridge and image forming apparatus employing same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20050281590A1 (en) | 2005-12-22 |
CN100349073C (en) | 2007-11-14 |
CN1527157A (en) | 2004-09-08 |
US7486916B2 (en) | 2009-02-03 |
CN101118411B (en) | 2010-04-21 |
EP1455245A1 (en) | 2004-09-08 |
CN101118411A (en) | 2008-02-06 |
US7162189B2 (en) | 2007-01-09 |
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